1. Goal setting

As most people are now adapting to working from home the first thing we need to do is to be clear on our companies and individual goals. Once these have been established, we need to priorities our daily work routine ensuring an effective and productive use of our time.

2. Workstation

Ideally your workstation should be away from the rest of the family to ensure minimum distraction. Make sure the room is the right temperature and has good daylight, as this can make a difference to your productivity and your moods.

3. Manage your time

A daily structure should be put in place for you to achieve your daily tasks, your own and company goals. Some jobs will be task based and others will be time based so your daily structure needs to reflect this. Stick to a routine as you will be more likely to get more work done rather than taking an ad hoc approach. Be clear on your daily priorities and put in place regular breaks every hour. It is also important that you take the time to communicate with colleagues who are also working from home or your supervisor/boss but ideally communications should be planned. Contact with other family members at home should be at a minimum during working hours. In fairness family contact will probably be unavoidable but ideally there should be a structured approach except in the case of an emergency.

4. Things to avoid during your working day

Your mind is a source of real power and negative thoughts will impact on your energy, your productivity and achievements. Ensure you keep positive by cancel, clearing and deleting negative thoughts and replacing them with positive thinking. Avoid binge eating, fizzy drinks, eating at the workstation and overeating as this will drain the bodies energies. While we can all take advantage of the amazing technology we have access to, we need to keep it in perspective. Social media scrolling should be kept to a minimum as in the present climate this could be a distraction.

5. Reduce your stress and be mindful of your mental health

Stress keeps your body and mind trapped in a place of perpetual unrest worry and unease.
If you are feeling stressed, then take this 3 layered approach:
1. Recognize
2. Reverse
3. Resilience

Recognise that you are stress and observe where these stressors are coming from.

Reverse the situation by:

Breathing consciously
Changing your thinking
Diminish the stressor
Move your body
Sleep
Get into nature
Hydrate the body
Eat life energy foods

Build your resilience:

 Socialize by scheduling zoom or skype calls with family or friends
 Try some cognitive behavioural therapy
 Practice emotional freedom therapy
 Listen to music

6. Keeping positive

The first positive thing to keep in mind is that we are all facing this challenge together and out of this challenge undoubtedly working life balance opportunities will feature in the future. Take solace from all of the positive things around you, family, friends and dedication of health care workers and others at this time. A positive mindset is essential as negative thoughts impact on your energy, your productivity and achievements.

7. Hydrate your body

Drinking the right amount of water such as 8 glasses per day will hydrate the body and increases

your energy.

8. Exercise

Finding the space in your day to exercise is key to keeping the mind and body fresh, as we
release essential hormones that drive us and help to de stress the body.
Ideally exercising in the open air is a great tonic.
Unfortunately as time evolves it may not be possible to venture outside, therefore yoga, pilates, qi
gong , stretching etc can easily be completed at home through and guidelines for these can be
accessed on social media and YouTube channels.
To add some fun, these can be undertaken with other family members to motivate everyone in the
home.
Finding joy in the little things helps to raise our spirits.

9. Fuelling the body with immune boosting life energy foods

Our immune system is our last line of defence against any illness and especially this virus.
Fuelling your body with the good stuff, immune boosting life energy foods is essential. Selecting
tasty nourishing foods you love and using them to create mouth-watering meals. Cut down on your
sugar intake as sugar will zap your energies and can interfere with the way your body fights
disease.
You need to put in place a regular eating routine ensuring you are eating a good breakfast, taking
a healthy mid-day break and consuming a nutritious evening meal.

10. Rest and Renew

In order to be productive particularly from home it is important that you put in place a good rest
routine. The importance of sleep is often overlooked, especially when we’re stressed. Getting
sufficient, high-quality sleep is absolutely critical for good productivity and also has the benefit of
promoting a healthy immune system.
A good night’s sleep should be 7.5–8 hours of rest, avoid the temptation to nap during the working
day while working from home.

11. Mindfulness approach to your day

As stated earlier there are tools, we can use that can enhance your daily routine in a home
environment.
Having a good morning routine sets you up for a great day, mindful meditation and exercise are
great ways to start your day giving you energy to achieve those tasks and create a positive
mindset.
These can all be achieved within 15 minutes every morning and will contribute to improving your
performance and productivity.
Other simple mindful practices include conscious breathing, alternative nostril breathing (technique
tips on Zestivo.com blog) which will produce a sharper focus and enhanced creativity.